Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ

A.Word.A.Day--decerebrate

decerebrate (dee-SER-uh-brayt) verb tr.

To eliminate cerebral brain function in (an animal) by removing the cerebrum, cutting across the brain stem, or severing certain arteries in the brain stem, as for purposes of experimentation.

adjective

1. Deprived of cerebral function, as by having the cerebrum removed.

2. Resulting from or as if from decerebration.

3. Lacking intelligence or reason.

noun

A decerebrate animal or person.

"At this moment, presumably, Lincoln became decerebrate - that is, brain dead." Richard A.R. Fraser, M.D., Assassination of the President. // He Was Shot at the Theatre. // Doctors Swiftly Attended Him And Probed the Wound. // This Was a Mistake // The Gunshot Was Not Necessarily Fatal, But the Probe Irritated .... , Minneapolis Star Tribune, 10 Feb 1995.

This week's theme: yours to discover!

X-Bonus